


The angriest cat in Fódlan

by Pangolinia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cats, F/M, Fluff, Hobbies, Rain, felibernweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pangolinia/pseuds/Pangolinia
Summary: Felix discovers that one of Bernadetta's various hobbies connects him with a disgruntled cat.Written for Felibern Week 2020.Day 3: hobbies
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	The angriest cat in Fódlan

The verdant rain poured from the heavens, savage and untamed to remind of nature's wildness. As a side effect, heaven's nourishment to earth granted the monastery's inhabitants a brief interlude from their hectic life. The once crowded and lively gardens of the monastery presently lay deserted in silence. Only the lullaby of heaven played in it's soothing, unique rhythm.

The solitary exception was a pair of loners who sought shelter under one of the gazebos in the gardens at the same time. The rain enveloped the ineffable couple and encaptured them in the dry safety of the stone structure. Occasionally, the sound of a blade drawn over a whetstone and the clicking of wooden needles joined into the rain's cradle song.

Felix looked up at the ceiling of the pergola. A glassy dome composed of mosaic-like diamonds. The rain strummed, drummed and tinkled like a canorous opera as each watery pearl danced on the cupola. Miniature flows flourished and dried in the valleys of grout gaps connecting mosaic shards. Every so often, the streams combined and designed lucid and ornamental patterns, washed away a second later by another current.

Small rainbows pierced the fragmented sky when rays of light scattered due to refraction. The colourful spectacle gave a foreshadowing of the ethereal arch of light that would soon adorn the horizon. Outside the sanctum rosy bushes, flowers and culms bowed to the celestial blessing. As the ground started to moisten the distinctive odour of rain permeated the air. A pleasant combination of fresh, musky and earthy notes, for the swordsman's nose.

Proficiently, Felix scraped his blade along the whetstone until it was sharp enough to split a holm of grass with ease. Sporadically, he risked a glance at the silent girl in front of him. Bernadetta spent her time poring over her needlework. Whatever she knitted was complicated, but seemed easy for the talented girl. Impressively, the recluse controlled five needles at once.

However, that was not all Bernadetta crafted. Once in a while, the fearful noble glimpsed stealthily at him and worked on a separate design. Felix noticed a needle with black yarn attached to it. Swiftly like a sword, she struck the pointy metal into a piece of dark garment and pulled the thread trough. All deliberately hidden from his eyes. When their eyes met, Bernadetta discarded the work and continued the rounds on her needlework. She feigned an innocent whistling that caused her to look even more suspicious.

Now, that Felix completed the maintenance of his sword, it became evident that whatever Bernadetta produced, did include him in some odd way. Hence, he waited patiently for the girl to strike anew. Quiet and observant as a predator, Felix waited with his head lowered for a mistake of his prey.

After a while, Bernadetta shyly turned around and grabbed the other project. As suspected, she gaped at him for a moment before her needle danced on the black-white cloth. Seizing the opportunity, Felix slipped closer to the girl. Eventually, he sat next to Bernadetta and evaluated her work.

'This has to be the angriest and dourest cat that ever roamed this world.' The needle stopped halfway, frozen in time like Bernadetta herself. Trembling, the crafter turned around. Face to face with Felix. For a short moment, the rainy orchestra was the only perceptible sound. Unsurprisingly, Bernadetta's first reaction was to flee into the streaming rain. The swordsman anticipated as much. The noble prevented the girl from running by tucking one arm around her waist.

'F-Felix, this is not..., I-I can explain,' the girl began to stutter. Bernadetta looked at her hands, trying to get rid of the evidence. Alas, Felix had anticipated her second move as well. One hand darted forward to grab both of her wrists. Simultaneously, the other one caught her unfinished work.

It was the head of a plush cat. The fur on ears, forehead and back was a dark azure colour, while most of her face was a creamy-white tone. The cat possessed an astute, pinkish nose, whereas her mouth formed a displeased line. Most prominent appeared her eyes. Fiery glowing orbs, speckled with orange dots made her look feral. However, what contributed most to her grim expression were the brows. Or rather one as the other one was in progress. Another noteworthy aspect was the bun that crowned her head and a few loose strands of hair framing the face.

The swordsman wondered why Bernadetta had created the glowering beast. Vaguely, the sullen noble identified the features of the cat as familiar. But where had he seen them? As his finger glided over the stitches that formed the brow, he realized it. Blue hair, amber eyes and a determined gaze were attributes that Felix encountered every day. In a mirror.

'This cat... Is that supposed to be me?' Felix did not mean to sound hurt. But the glare bothered him. Was this the way Bernadetta perceived him? Angry, furious and querulous? Then, he recalled a piece of an earlier conversation.  _ Your icy glare has frozen me completely _ , Felix remembered their first encounter like it happened yesterday.

Bernadetta nodded gently. Her rosy cheeks turned to an unhealthy pale, and her entire body shivered violently with fear. Felix realized he still held her by the wrists. Without hurrying, he loosened his grip and kneaded the tender skin. Gradually, the red marks of his touch faded.

'I'm not angry, Bernadetta.' The swordsman tried reassuring the petite noble. As always, the girl heard what she wanted. In the beginning, she jumped to some illogical conclusions before her mind processed the genuine intentions of his words.

'A-Angry? Ugh, Bernie knew it. Wait..., You are not?' The girl sounded wretched, her voice hoarse and tearful. Yet there shone a beacon of hope in her eyes upon understanding his words. Felix examined his fluffy counterpart closer. Unexpectedly, Felix began feeling charmed. Admittedly, it bore some resemblance to him. It was not the first time people pointed out his resolute demeanour. Bernadetta would not design a cat based on his image and likeliness if he terrified the girl.

'I do not dislike it. But, you got the bun wrong...,' Felix explained to a puzzled Bernadetta. With a certain degree of caution, he loosened the rope around the cat's bun. The austere noble smoothed the hair and removed tangles and knots alike. As he arranged the small tuft at the top of the head, he described the girl the procedure in detail.

'Here, you have to twist the bun. Then wind it around the centre like this.' Felix presented her the knot-like spiral that developed on the cat's head. Thereafter, he tried tying the knot with a strand of yarn, but the thread was too short. Instead, he pulled the band out of his own and fastened it around Bernadetta's disembodied stuffed cat.

Of course, the tie was too long. The ends dangled from the tiny forehead. After a moment's hesitation, Bernadetta's practised fingers bound her into a perfect bow. As the girl granted him a satisfying dip of the head, Felix held the cat next to his face.

'It looks excellent!' Rejoiced the girl with a gleeful smile as she compared the swordsman to her cat. Bernadetta pointed at Felix's lengthy hair, that moved in the wind. 'Don't you need a tie for yourself?'

'Hm. I think the cat needs it more. Take it as a charm for protection.' Felix returned the cat to Bernadetta. With that shy and endearing smile of hers, Bernadetta accepted his feline look-alike. The girl slightly bobbed the head, bun and bow bounce up and down. Then, she proceeded to finish the cat's conspicuous eyebrow.

'Would you mind if I take you as a model?' Using every ounce of her courage, Bernadetta pleaded for his permission. The stern swordsman felt incapable reclining her request. To his surprise, Felix wanted to see the cat finished. After all, he posed as some kind of godfather to it.

'Fine,' Felix nodded. Nonchalantly, he laid back and allowed Bernadetta to examine his features. Occasionally, she showed him the fruits of her labour. And all he could do was to admire her straight stitches and marvellous work. With each stitch, the plush animal transformed into a little Fraldarius.

After a while, the verdant rain ceased and freed the roofed shelter from its wet clutches. Even so, the exceptional couple remained under the pavilion. Lively the two indulged into a discussion about a bodiless and disgruntled cat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking your precious time to read my short story.


End file.
